The scope, efficiency and practicality of resolving guest compounds by molecular complexation will be assessed. The following kinds of questions will be answered. Can an amino acid resolving machine be built? Can the same or similar compounds be used to resolve, by molecular complexation, racemates of alpha-aminoesters, alpha-aminoamides, small aminopeptides, alpha-aminoalcohols, alpha-hydroxyacids, alpha-diols and 2,2'-dihydroxybiaryls? Attempts will be made to synthesize and test synthetic catalysts in which molecular complexation and orientation play an important role. Hopefully synthetic transacylases will be prepared that exhibit some of the properties of enzymes. The hope is that a catalyst can be prepared that will hydrolyze amide linkages of the type R-NH2CH-CONH-R with high stereospecificity and high rates at room temperature at pH's not lower than 4.